HALPERIN'S TAKE: What Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Movement Have in Common

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Well-Known Member

1. Both scare the heck out of a Republican Establishment that is afraid to be critical of either of them in public (but savages them in private.)
2. Both "stand for" hazy opposition to big government, with no specifics on how they would do things differently (or effectively.)
3. Both have far less support in the country at large than a gullible Old Media seems to understand or suggest.
4. Both believe in the wonders of the American free market (for the nation and themselves.)
5. Both are the subject of endless fascination by cable TV.
6. Both long for -- and talk incessantly about -- an America that no longer exists.
7. Both have the potential to ensure Barack Obama's re-election.
8. Both have energetic supporters whose passion dwarfs anything else in American politics today.
9. Both think they know how to use New Media to great effect (but don't really.)
10. Both benefit from the extraordinary promotional machine that is the Fox News Channel.
11. Both have a history of seeing their political agendas held back by the disorganization and chaos surrounding them.

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Active Member

2. Both "stand for" hazy opposition to big government, with no specifics on how they would do things differently (or effectively.)

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Unfair. Since the tea party is not a formal body, they don't have formal, codified positions; however, several excellent ideas are espoused by this group.

4. Both believe in the wonders of the American free market (for the nation and themselves.)

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Understandably, this bothers leftists/statists; making money is considered evil to them...and they are disturbed that these folks have more traction than they do. Of course, you'd rather them be censored by the government. Any excuse will do: "hate speech," "dangerous viewpoints," "fairness doctrine," and many more. Thankfullly, at this point, we still employ basic free speech rights in this country, much to your chagrin.

6. Both long for -- and talk incessantly about -- an America that no longer exists.

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Of course, leftists constantly harp on this one. Usually, it's a thinly-veiled attempt to play the "racist" card...since that's been an old stand-by, and it's a charge that doesn't have to be true to do damage. It is ignored by the leftists that many of the values the movement longs for are values that once characterized our country, but no longer do.

9. Both think they know how to use New Media to great effect (but don't really.)

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This charge coming from an MSNBC fan, I find this one laughable. Oh well, you and Keith Olbermann can believe it.

10. Both benefit from the extraordinary promotional machine that is the Fox News Channel.

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This is where crabby's blatant intellectual dishonesty takes over (I find him to be one of the most dishonest posters on the board). This is a guy who constantly quotes left-wing sources (often in a post-and-run manner), but yet wants to indict Fox. Physician, heal thyself.

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Well-Known Member

Let's get back on topic, face the facts ... Palin has no chance in a presidential election. If the GOP wants to ensure Obama's second term all they have to do is run Palin.

Sarah Palin has upped her national profile in recent weeks, but a new poll shows that the extra attention hasn't done her any favors. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, the amount of people with a favorable view of Palin has dropped to its lowest point ever recorded by the pollster. More than 70% of respondents said she's not qualified to be president.

Palin's numbers don't improve much when just Republicans are asked to give their opinion of her, the poll found.

The Post reports just 45% of conservatives consider Palin qualified to move into the Oval Office. Last November, 66% of conservatives said she was qualified.

Only 37 percent of Republicans have a "strongly favorable" view of Palin. Among all Americans, her overall favorable/unfavorable split is 37/55, the lowest it's been since ABC and the Post added her to national polls in Sept. 2008, when John McCain made Palin his running mate on the GOP ticket.

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Banned

Is it that you can't see that there is only one globalist party in DC with two factions fighting over how best to loot our treasure and run our republic into the ground so they can finally get their world government shackles on us?

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Well-Known Member

I take it from your silence that you are admitting you can't refute them. Fine with me.

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I simply wanted to see what others thought. I see no reason to respond to every post either for or against. Besides just because a person posts a quote does not mean they agree nor disagree with the list. It is a conversation point, not a beat over the head point. Seems the art of polite discussion has been lost in our society. I do have other things to do beside sitting on the BB all day. Do you see any merit in any of Halpern's ideas?

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Active Member

I simply wanted to see what others thought. I see no reason to respond to every post either for or against. Besides just because a person posts a quote does not mean they agree nor disagree with the list. It is a conversation point, not a beat over the head point. Seems the art of polite discussion has been lost in our society. I do have other things to do beside sitting on the BB all day.

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Translation: Yikes! I didn't mean for you to actually make any points!

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Banned

>Of course, leftists constantly harp on this one. Usually, it's a thinly-veiled attempt to play the "racist" card...since that's been an old stand-by, and it's a charge that doesn't have to be true to do damage.

The "old America" still exists? You gots to be kidding. Everything changes. It is an old philosophical problem. Today you watch the water in a river. Tomorrow you watch the river. Is it the same river? The same water? (depends upon how many cows up stream are peeing into it?)

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Active Member

The "old America" still exists? You gots to be kidding. Everything changes. It is an old philosophical problem. Today you watch the water in a river. Tomorrow you watch the river. Is it the same river? The same water? (depends upon how many cows up stream are peeing into it?)

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Well-Known Member

Well, after looking over you responses several times it appears you are quite paranoid. I understand that by responding I will only feed your paranoia and their insecurity.

However I will say if the Tea Party is not a party why do they use the word party in their title on their web page.

You must fear the charge of racism and I can see why after reviewing some of the speeches at the "party." After all one speaker said he wants to re-institute a literacy test ... this was the crux of the Jim Crow laws in the South. Of course, under Jim Crow, if you were of the right group you didn't have to take the test.

Show me a link where anyone of any political leaning says that making money is evil. That was a most silly response.

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Active Member

Well, after looking over you responses several times it appears you are quite paranoid. I understand that by responding I will only feed your paranoia and their insecurity.

However I will say if the Tea Party is not a party why do they use the word party in their title on their web page.

You must fear the charge of racism and I can see why after reviewing some of the speeches at the "party." After all one speaker said he wants to re-institute a literacy test ... this was the crux of the Jim Crow laws in the South. Of course, under Jim Crow, if you were of the right group you didn't have to take the test.

Show me a link where anyone of any political leaning says that making money is evil. That was a most silly response.

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Well, crabby, first you pretend I didn't answer, and then you insult me because you don't like my answers.

Figures.

Look...as intellectually dishonest as you are on this board, it's hard to take your critiques seriously.

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